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Order of Pagans
"You can't even understand the powers that I call upon." The Order of Pagans serve the Pagan Gods themselves and derive their powers from these primordial entities. In ancient times they were quite numerous, with shrines and temples placed in major urban centers or in the far-out wild places. Today, in our secular, modern age, the Pagans still exist but in a much quieter capacity. But the Gods still exist, and every now and then their gazes return to our world... Aspect of God: Henotheism. Paradigm: Pagan Gods. Pagan Degrees Facts: -The Pagans were once the people of the wild places, the lands outside the maps, the frontier dwellers and foreigners who visited the other Orders only rarely. How different things are today when pagan groups now number across the planet and operate out in the open. From forest dwelling druids to modern ethnic-heritage groups, the Order of Pagans has certainly made a comeback here in the modern age. -The central theology of the Order is that they recognize a transcendent Divinity who is the 'central' god, but also recognize other beings as divine as well. Lately, this style of worship has been given the moniker Henotheism. -Pagan Chantries tend to be deep in the wild places and are used for the celebration of life. This often takes the form of a bonfire, wine, food and plenty of dancing. Guests are allowed but it is normally invitation only. -Pagans are associated with hearth magick and lesser witches. -Pagan Adepts dedicate themselves to a particular Pantheon of Gods, or to a single deity in particular. The specific powers of that God will begin to emerge within the Pagan's own character, so Pagans who follow Thor would develop immense strength, toughness, immunity to cold, and could summon the mythical hammer of Mjolnir, etc. -Pagans are closely related to, but distinct from, Theists of the Order of Infinity. Theists serve the Supreme Being Itself, where else the Pagan Creators serve the ancient entities that were spawned by The Creator alongside the birth of the cosmos itself. -Places and items of importance to the mythological cycles of the past will be where you can find modern-day Pagans. Pagans will often make pilgrimages to places historically important to their God or Gods, and Relics associated with their particular Pantheon will be closely coveted by the attending Adepts of said Pantheon. -A Pantheon is a specific 'family' or 'tribe' of Gods who share a common cultural heritage. Examples include the Nordic or Celtic Pantheons in Europe, or the Greco-Roman Pantheons in Italy and the Aegean. Pagan Prayers: Pagan Adepts have the power to communicate with the Pagan Gods and can call out to them for help and supernatural power. Pagan Adepts still believe in an over-arching thing that is God, which is how they become Adepts of God in the first place. But unlike most other Orders which hail from strict Monotheism, Pagan Adepts often come from more primitive religions which emphasize nature-worship and keeping the old ways. Pagan Adepts will be viewed with favor by Pagan Gods (this is probably the only time that will happen, seeing as how it was the ancient wars with the Adepts is what brought down the Pagan God's old empires). Most Pagans will dedicate themselves fully to a Pagan God or gods and gain special powers for it. *Practicing paganism won't bar you from Adept society, but a Pagan Adept had better be prepared to exist on the fringes. A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Nature Of The Gods: Who or what exactly are the Pagan Gods? It's a hard question with no easy answer. The Gods at times appear to be immortal, gifted with immortality and aware of the cosmos' grandest secrets. And yet the Gods can be born, and they can even die. They grow, they develop, and they sometimes fall from grace. The oldest of the gods are immensely powerful, well beyond anything a mortal could comprehend, but the Gods are not above pettiness. More than one of the Gods has killed another, be it in war or out of personal grievance. Mythological Cycles: Collecting, memorizing and passing on the ancient lore of pagan religion is paramount to all members of the Order of Pagans. Pagan Adepts can only serve the Gods if they know about them, so preserving the ancient traditions of various Pantheons is one of the first things any Pagan learns to do. The ancient mythological cycles are not dry and dusty topics to the Pagans. They are vital to their success, and to the continuation of their Order. Clash Of The Gods: The Gods are far above mere mortals, but for all their vaunted power and abilities they are still prone to behavior that is strikingly human. One of these behaviors is warfare. Occasionally, a God or Gods will declare war on others, resulting in a brief but cosmic conflict between each deity and their attending followers. When such incidents occur, it naturally entails that Pagans loyal to any of the involved Gods will become embroiled in the conflict. Gifted By The Gods: Most Petitioner Adepts must painstakingly learn about their own particular paradigm and develop their powers slowly. Practice, education and no small amount of trial-and-error are the hallmarks of growth for most Orders. But the Pagan Adepts can often catch a break. Should they show strong devotion, or remain true to the ideals of their deity amid tribulation, it is not uncommon for the Gods to bestow special advances in power for a Pagan follower. This can take many different forms, and the exact nature of the gift is often in relation to the nature of the deity themselves. A follower of Thoth might be gifted with a powerful wellspring of magic (like a Grimoire) or a follower of Hephaestus would be gifted with intimate knowledge of smelting and metallurgy. Primordial Gods: Elder Gods: Alien Gods: High Gods: Chief Gods: Outer Gods: Alien Gods; The Old Gods: The 'Old Gods' is a term applied to prehistoric deities, ancient beings of barbarian worship long before the development of the 'modern' Pagan Gods we are familiar with today. The Old Gods are darker and more savage than their more civilized counterparts of more advanced societies. Old Gods tend to be closer to nature, more about survival and keepers of primordial secrets. They also tend to demand blood sacrifice and other darker acts of religious veneration as part of their worship. One good example of the Old Gods are the Jotun, the 'Ice Giants' of Northern European myth who were defeated and replaced by Odin and the Nordic Gods. References: http://www.godchecker.com -https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paganism -http://www.paganfederation.org/what-is-paganism/ -http://www.pagan.com/ -http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/paganism/ -http://www.patheos.com/Library/Pagan.html -https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Gods -https://www.smitegame.com/play-for-free/ - Category:Pagan